Motor Car stolen after break in

prose

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Hello on 31st of October @ 9:45pm I caught 3 intruders in my kitchen having entered my (unlocked) back door of my home they stole both sets of keys of my cars from the key rack and subsequently returned to steal my car (which has yet to be found) from my driveway later that evening. I have been asked by my car insurance company to provide evidence of forced entry. As they did not force entry, does this mean I will not be covered? Any suggestions? N.B the reason my door was unlocked was because I had let my dog out 15 minutes prior the the break in! Thanks Prose
 
Have you discussed the theft of the car with your home insurance company to see if it's covered there?
I thought typically in this scenario where the car is stolen with keys that were result of a house burglary, you have to claim on your home insurance.
 
Thanks Oddesy05 I haven't discussed it with my home insurance because nothing was stolen from home except €20 and car keys. I am somewhat confused now? Should I claim through home or car insurance?
 
I'm not 100% sure, in theory you could argue that the 'forced entry' was physical rather than in terms of forcing a lock, similar to being car jacked at a stopped traffic light.

I think the claim under home insurance is something to consider if your motor insurance company refuses the claim... If your motor and home insurance are with the same company, phone them up and see what they have to say.
 
you can't claim for the theft of the car under the home insurance policy so don't even bother with that one.
 
Even if they force an entry, by getting through a locked door or windows, sometimes there's visible signs of it.

What do you mean by "caught". Isn't that the evidence they are looking for.
 
Did you know they stole your car keys??:confused:
I assume you called your local garda station and reported a break-in telling them the have stolen your car keys, to the cars parked outside your home.?
 
Thanks AlbacoreA, peteb and LS400.
I came down stairs as my dog was barking and interrupted the robbery this is what I mean by caught them. My back door was unlocked, so they just walked in. It was only after they left that I realised they had taken my car keys, they returned later and robbed the car. I am concerned that my back door being unlocked means the insurance company wont cover the theft? Oh and yes, I informed the Garda, they came to my house twice.
 
I don't understand this? My back door is unlocked every day when someone is in the house. I have never heard of an insurance claim for robbery being rejected because there was no obvious sign of a break-in?? Thieves can get in through open windows etc without visable signs! Did the insurance company state that they would not pay out without this evidence? If not you would need to establish this before taking any further action! I can't see this as being a valid reason to decline a legitimate claim. Perhaps they are just looking for complete information before processing the claim.
 
But he wasnt in the house so what bearing does you having the the back door unlocked every day have on matters?

Who is your car insurer OP? Have you looked at your policy wording as to your obligations? For example if you left your keys in the ignition and went into a garage and someone stole the car = no cover.
 
For some reason I thought he said he was out and came back in.

If he encountered them then that would satisfy any "violent entry" criteria
 
The fact of the back door being locked or not is not an issue, Their is no claim on the house insurance as no damage or items stolen from the house. The issue imo is the motor insurance company knowing the owner was aware his keys were taken and made no attempt to minimise a possible theft. To look at it another way, if the car was worth €10000, its akin to leaving a box of money in the garden and going to bed. Unless, my first question on this again, were you aware the keys were stolen?? I would assume not..
 
Thanks for your comments everyone. LS400 Yes I became aware my car keys were stolen when the police were in my house they advised that the robbers may come back to steal the car, it was then I noticed my keys were missing. My neighbor removed the car battery and still they were successful in taking the car!
 
My neighbor removed the car battery and still they were successful in taking the car!

Pity your neighbour didnt think to remove a wheel or two. I guess in hindsight it was pretty obvious they were going to come back for the car but hindsight is a great thing after the deed is done.
 
Hi guys, I don't mean to drag this out, but here is what the insurance company are asking me
"In relation to the stolen keys they will need a detailed description of how these keys were stolen. If it is a case that your house was broken in to and the keys were taken from there they require a picture of the forced entry
Your garda report in relation to your claim has been forwarded over to your insurer.
Please be advised that they are going to need photographic evidence of where the forced entry took place."


How should I answer this?

thanks again?
 
I don't think there's anything else you can do except plainly outline the events as they occurred, similar to how you have done at the start of this post, and provide photos of the door through which the burglars gained unauthorised entry.

Stress that you immediately notified the proper authorities (Garda Siochana) of the crime that occurred and took what you considered to be reasonable steps to disable the vehicle.

I'm not aware of any insurance condition that obliges you to have your property locked at all times e.g. when you are at home during the day - I think there are conditions for when you are "not at home" or have "retired for the night."

You should read the terms and conditions and endorsements of your insurance policy to see if it places any obligation on your to store your keys out of sight when not in use.
I know some insurance companies attached conditions to their policies so they would not stand over claims where keys were 'fished' through the letter box from a visible position.
 
Hi guys, I don't mean to drag this out, but here is what the insurance company are asking me
"In relation to the stolen keys they will need a detailed description of how these keys were stolen. If it is a case that your house was broken in to and the keys were taken from there they require a picture of the forced entry
Your garda report in relation to your claim has been forwarded over to your insurer.
Please be advised that they are going to need photographic evidence of where the forced entry took place."


How should I answer this?

thanks again?

This is a communication from your BROKER and not your INSURER as INSURER would not refer to stuff being 'forwarded to Insurer'. As other posters have said, check policy terms and conditions re keys/forced entry etc.
 
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